An independent contractor in the SRJCs information technology department suffered a  fatal massive heart attack at his desk in Bussman Hall Dec. 5.

Dave Thum worked for the company that supports the Mitel phone system at SRJC for more than 10 years, rewiring the old-style phones on campus. He was in charge of a 30-year project of replacing outdated analogue switches into their fully digital counterparts.

“If you have had an office move where your phone was moved any time in the last 10+ years, then you may have met Dave,” SRJC IT Director Scott Conrad wrote in a letter to the SRJC community.

Conrad, a friend and colleague who was with Thum at the time of his death, said, “We all enjoyed working with Dave and will miss him very much.”

Thum’s daughter Desiree Thum wrote in an email, “My Dad passed away December 5, 2012 doing what he loved…working at SRJC, with people that he cared deeply about. “

A memorial service is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Church of the Oaks, on the corner of West Sierra Ave and Page Street in Cotati.